Dani Dayan, the Consul General of Israel in New York who is currently on vacation in Israel, on Wednesday told Arutz Sheva about his mission and target audiences as an emissary of the State of Israel in the US.
"The main mission I see is of course the Jewish world. I represent the State of Israel to the largest Jewish community in the Diaspora. I think that in this generation we, as Jews, have two main mitzvot (precepts) in addition to the 613 mitzvot."
"First, it is the duty of every Jew, even in the United States, to ensure the existence and prosperity of the State of Israel, but also the role of every Jew, even in Israel, to ensure the continued existence of the Jewish people wherever they are. Of course, I would want them to move to Israel, but this apparently will not happen in the near future and, therefore, we have a mission to help American Jews ensure their future and existence.”
Dayan elaborated on who his target audiences are for his work in the US: "When I arrived in New York, we made several strategic assessments and identified three target audiences. The first - the Jews - is self-evident. The second is the Liberal-Democratic public. I think it is very important to maintain support for Israel in both parties in the US political arena.”
"The third target is the Hispanic community - we devote a great deal of effort to it. According to estimates, in 2060, about a third of the voters in the United States will be Hispanics, and this is the time to go all out with this audience and gain its sympathy and support."
Dayan called on the Israeli public to recognize the importance of the connection with Diaspora Jewry: "There should be more awareness that we have millions of brothers overseas and that we, as the Jewish state, have a commitment to them."